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Lisa, I really appreciate your contact with Dr. Carney. His answers have me alittle confused, though. (Maybe it's just my chemo brain!) In his reply to StepN he says "The FISH test in only performed on the primary breast tumor," and "So the FISH test and IHC tell us the HER2/neu staus of the original breast cancer. Later in life when the HER2/neu breast cancer has spread to other parts of the body (metastatic breaast cancer) the FISH tests and IHC aren't used". Since my original breast cancer occurred 20 years ago, and the second (a stage IV to my spine) occured 14 years ago,I doubt that either test was given in either case. Now that I have the second stage IV 14 years later in my lungs, the FISH test was given and the HER2/neu status was discovered. I asked my onc about the Bayer serum HER2/neu test and he had never heard of it. It sounds like I need to have the serum test, but I need to understand all this better than I do right now. I seriously doubt that my original 2 cancers were HER2/neu because I recovered so well from them. It's my understanding that the HER2 status is a very aggressive, fast-acting cancer, and herceptin is what stops or at least slows it down. If they were HER2, how did I survive without herceptin? Can you see my confusion? If someone can clarify things a little for me I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks so much! Tricia
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